Detroit Lions starter Jack Campbell played a key role in preparing his former Iowa teammate, Jay Higgins, for the NFL scouting combine. While it’s uncertain whether Higgins fits the mold of a Dan Campbell player, one thing is clear: he’s a Jack Campbell player.<\/p>\n
Before the combine, Higgins revealed that Campbell, now a Lions starter, not only helped him with positional insights during their time together at Iowa but also offered advice ahead of his combine experience. “I learned a lot from Jack Campbell.<\/p>\n
He texted me a little bit before the combine, preparing me, but definitely just how to operate,” Higgins shared. “In college, you have 90% of guys doing one thing and 10% trying to be great. Since I arrived at Iowa, Campbell was always in that elite group. I\u2019m grateful for him letting me learn from him and seeing what leadership and playing the Mike backer position at Iowa look like. I’m really appreciative of him.”<\/p>\n
Higgins joked that it wasn\u2019t until Campbell was drafted 18th overall by the Lions in 2023 that he fully stepped out of Campbell’s shadow. Higgins followed suit by creating his own name, landing on the Lions\u2019 radar. Last season at Iowa, he registered 124 total tackles, 53 solo, five passes defended, four interceptions, two forced fumbles (one recovered), and a sack, earning unanimous All-American honors and the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year award.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old also revealed that he had an informal meeting with the Lions’ coaching staff. \u201cWe went over their defense and saw how quickly I could pick it up,\u201d Higgins explained. \u201cOverall, it was a good interview.\u201d<\/p>\n
The biggest takeaway for Higgins was learning about the new defensive coaching staff, particularly Kelvin Sheppard\u2019s promotion to defensive coordinator. Higgins also noted that the Lions\u2019 success stems from a focus on discipline and attention to detail\u2014similar to Iowa. Sheppard mentioned that he wouldn\u2019t be restricted to a rigid scheme, instead adjusting the defense to fit personnel, which aligns with Higgins\u2019 versatile skill set.<\/p>\n
When asked if he could see himself playing for the Lions, Higgins was quick to respond: \u201cDefinitely. Anytime I see a four-down front, I think I can play linebacker in any system.\u201d Higgins is a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (2023, 2024).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Detroit Lions starter Jack Campbell played a key role in preparing his former Iowa teammate, Jay Higgins, for the NFL scouting combine. While it’s uncertain whether Higgins fits the mold of a Dan Campbell player, one thing is clear: he’s a Jack Campbell player. Before the combine, Higgins revealed that Campbell, now a Lions starter, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[378],"tags":[804,2727],"class_list":["post-26975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions","tag-jack-campbell","tag-jay-higgins"],"yoast_head":"\n